Updated 9 January 2019
The provider, Carfax Health Enterprise Community Interest Company, delivers regulated activities from its location at Sparcells Surgery. Contact details are:
Sparcells Surgery
Midwinter Close
Peatmoor
Swindon,
Wiltshire.
SN5 5AN
Tel: 01793 881928
Website: www.sparcells-surgery.co.uk
Sparcells Surgery is one of three practices operated by Carfax Health Enterprise Community Interest Company. The other two locations were not visited as part of this inspection.
The practice is based in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is one of 23 practices serving the NHS Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. All Sparcells Surgery patient services including nurse treatment and GP consulting rooms are located on the ground floor.
The practice has approximately 4,390 registered patients from an area surrounding the practice. The practice age distribution is broadly in line with the national average, with most patients being of working age or older. Sparcells Surgery is a member of a new federation of practices, ‘Brunel Health Group’. The aim of the federation is to provide a support network across practices.
The practice was taken over by the current provider in January 2013, and a General Medical Services (GMS) contract is in place to deliver health care services. (A GMS contract is a contract between NHS England and general practices for delivering general medical services, and is the commonest form of GP contract).
Sparcells Surgery provides the following regulated activities:
- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
- Diagnostic and screening procedures
- Family planning
- Maternity and midwifery services
- Surgical procedures
Sparcells Surgery operates a nurse-led model of care. The provider has defined this as all clinicians working together within their own areas of competence, to ensure patients are seen by the most appropriate person to meet their needs, and allowing them to build and maintain a workforce of appropriately skilled nurses. Members of the clinical and administrative teams also work across all three sites.
There is one salaried GP (female). The wider clinical team consists of a primary care nurse, an advanced nurse practitioner, one treatment room nurse, and two Health Care Assistants (HCAs. One of whom is a Senior HCA). A clinical pharmacist is also employed by the practice. The reception and administration team consists of two administrators, two receptionists and an office manager. The provider's corporate team includes a Medical Director, a Director of Nursing, a Director of Operations, an infection control nurse, and a range of corporate administrative staff. Each of the Directors is based in a different practice so that there is a Director available at all times. Each practice also has an Operational Manager.
It has been identified that 91% of the practice population describes itself as white, and around 8% as having a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. A measure of deprivation in the local area recorded a score of 9, on a scale of 1-10. A higher score indicates a less
deprived area. (Note that the circumstances and lifestyles of the people living in an area affect its deprivation score. Not everyone living in a deprived area is deprived and not all deprived people live in deprived areas).
Sparcells Surgery is open from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and the practice will take calls during these times. Routine GP appointments are generally available throughout the day, from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The practice provides pre-booked extended hours evening appointments, for patients registered at any of its locations, at its Carfax NHS Medical Centre location. Appointments are from 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The practice also offers extended hours appointments from 8am to 4pm, on alternate Saturday mornings, at Carfax NHS Centre. These appointments are with a nurse or HCA.
The practice has opted out of providing Out-Of-Hours services to its own patients. Outside of normal practice hours, patients can access the NHS 111 service, and an Out-Of-Hours GP service is operated by the local acute Trust. Information about the Out-Of-Hours service was available on the practice website, in the patient registration pack, and as an answerphone message.